FROST: As teachers see red, let AG assess education blueprint

Let’s at least give the Glaze report to the auditor general. If this government is truly willing to stand behind this document as the true path forward for educational reform in this province, put it to the test. (ANDREW VAUGHAN / CP)

A few weeks ago, consultant Avis Glaze, after only studying the issue for a few short weeks, released her recommendations on how to improve education in Nova Scotia to an unsuspecting public. The very next day, Education Minister Zach Churchill announced his government would immediately accept 11 of Glaze’s 22 recommendations.

Now, as time has passed and folks have had a chance to look closely at the report, concern has been supplanted by anger. As parents, community groups and teachers begin to unpack the report, the potential it has to completely dismantle the public education system and replace it with a new, Ontario-esque model is becoming more and more apparent.

The devil is in the details — and there are elements of the Glaze report that people find appealing. For example, Glaze recommends a reworking of the Hogg formula, which determines how schools are funded. It is long overdue for review. Glaze also talks about providing support for immigrant families, which makes a good deal of sense. Finally, Glaze talks about developing a strategy around recruitment and retention of teachers, which is actually something I myself have proposed.

However, as much as I may find myself agreeing with aspects of the Glaze report, my enthusiasm is tempered by two key concerns. One is that, as a unionist, it is hard to see this as anything but yet another attack on the collective bargaining rights of teachers. But there is another piece of the Glaze report that I think should concern everyone who has any sort of interest in public education.

Not to put too fine a point on it: she got a bunch of stuff wrong.

Consider the following: in her report, and in defence of the creation of a College of Teachers, Glaze wrote that the College would perform some tasks now handled by the NSTU, such as the disciplinary process.The discipline of teachers does not fall to the NSTU.

During her press conference, Glaze suggested that teachers should perhaps have a probationary period before getting hired. We already have that.

In a Jan. 19 opinion piece she wrote for The Chronicle Herald, she stated that according to national and international assessments, “nowhere does Nova Scotia even approach Canadian national averages.” Not true. In many instances, we are exactly at the Canadian national average, if not above.

In the report, Glaze referred to the “teachers’ bargaining agreement.” Here in Nova Scotia, we have the Teachers’ Provincial Agreement, and we have the Teachers’ Collective Bargaining Act. There is no “teachers’ bargaining agreement.”

You get my point. The document was rife with errors and demonstrated, at best, only a minimal understanding of our current system.

Now, even the most ardent reformist among us must see the folly in basing even small changes on erroneous data. You don’t bake a cake when you know the eggs have gone over. You don’t knowingly put faulty brake pads on a car. You don’t start to build a house if you know the foundation is bad. This is not left-wing unionist dribble. This is common sense.

What is perhaps even more alarming for me — and indeed should be for all of us — is that the government had this document for at least three weeks before it was released. That the McNeil Liberals did not pick up on the mistakes is bad enough. That they are continuing to push ahead now speaks to an underlying purpose.

This is not a house. This is not a cake. This is the entire public education system. It is a massive and complex conglomeration of working parts and human hearts, all trying desperately to educate the youth of this province so that they can have a better tomorrow. We have not always agreed upon a way forward. We have not always agreed on monetary issues. We have not always agreed on policy. But at least we could agree that what we were doing was based on some semblance of accurate information.

This report, in its current state, will be met with fierce resistance from teachers, a resistance that is already shaping up to make last year’s efforts look meek in comparison.

I can’t think that Nova Scotia parents want to revisit that kind of turmoil, particularly considering the document simply does not hold up under even the lightest of scrutiny. I can’t believe they want this government embarking on yet another fight with teachers, with so much time, money and energy being channelled away from their kids.

So what is to be done?

Well, the first option (my favourite) is to burn the darn thing. However, that is probably not going to happen. This government has proven to be obstinate, and even when protesters surrounded the legislature 30 rows deep last year, Premier Stephen McNeil got his legislation pushed through.

So, here’s a thought: Let’s at least give the Glaze report to the auditor general. If this government is truly willing to stand behind this document as the true path forward for educational reform in this province, put it to the test. This auditor general has proven to be a hard-nosed, no-holds-barred, non-partisan pain in the behind, but he seems to be that way about everything. He, unlike Glaze and Myra Freeman before her, is truly non-partisan. If this report can stand scrutiny, let it be scrutinized by an impartial third party.

If not, well, let’s just say that we all know what happens to a house when it is built on a shaky foundation.

If we are going to do this, let’s at least do it right. Public education is simply too important to be left to the whims and wishes of politics.

Grant Frost is an educational commentator and teacher of over 20 years. He is currently serving as local NSTU president for Halifax County. More of his work can be found at frostededucation.com